Historic Photos Collection

The digital collection includes scans of books, photographs, audio, video, documents, and other materials. Items can be downloaded to your personal device and/or computer.

The digital collection may be accessed here:

Copyright

Most images in the Sargeant Memorial Collection (SMC) are copyrighted materials. It is incumbent on you to determine the current status and secure any permissions.

Commercial Usage of Our Materials:

Contact the Sargeant Memorial Collection to receive permission to use images and items for commercial purposes. Permissions must be secured if an item is copyrighted by another organization. Scanned items are for research purposes only.

Acknowledgements

The digital collection began from the generosity of the Dudley Cooper Family. The late Norfolk optometrist's six grandchildren made a substantial gift over a five year period, which enabled the library to purchase hardware and software to begin the arduous process of digitizing the tens of thousands of prints, negatives, postcards, maps, and documents held in the Sargeant Memorial Collection.

The gift honoring Dr. Cooper recognized his many contributions to the quality of life in the City of Norfolk, particularly his rescue of the popular Ocean View Amusement Park and his help in establishing an amusement park for the local African American population at Seaview Beach in the then-segregated community.

Our scanned city directories are available as a result of the generous donation of Joan Dalis.